What Harvard should be doing is rescinding the degrees of all members of Congress and the Trump administration that are supporting his efforts against them. They can say that they reserve the right to remove the degrees of everyone who does not behave with values that are part of the university community.
Also, all law firms, universities, students, and immigrants should be banding together to stand against Trump. Any group that gets targeted, instead of being divided should join together in unity against this administration.
I personally think Harvard should threaten to sell their buildings and buy land elsewhere, perhaps in Canada, or Scotland, or England or Ireland and move their university there. With a 50 bil endowment they should be able to afford some place. I say this as a plan B.
Back then Linda, for Jews it was the only alternative regardless of the country of residence. But where to go? How to get there? How to get a visa? Who would accept me. and my family ?., How to survive if we are dirt poor and how to pay for all the expenses and transportation costs? We are living in the middle of a very antisemitic country (list too long to name all of them) . Endless questions with no answers. Plus the paralyzing panic.
It's true that many families and individuals were able to escape, even groups of them walking their way East to China but how do you compare those few thousands against six millions.For them it was an inescapable deadly trap.
I know. I have studied German history, including the various fates of Brown skinned people like me. Ruth Ben-Ghiat often talks about how Otto Klemperer was able to leave because he was a musician and his cousin, Viktor, who is famous now for his diaries was stuck in Nazi Germany and did not get out, but his non-Jewish wife helped him to survive. I knew a couple of people who got out of Germany via China. I get the trap, which is why I don't want people to not see this for what it is and get trapped in the US now. Americans who do not have any experience with totalitarianism do not understand what it looks like in the early stages. Also, one of my best friends is Jewish and a lesbian and is trying to get citizenship in Poland which she should be able to get because she has her grandfather's papers. She wants to at least have a plan B, an out. I wish that for everyone.
We are discussing your point that Harvard should sell its buildings and move to another country. We are not discussing Jews in 1930s and 1940s Germany. In that case leaving, if possible, was the right choice.
I am making the point that never say never about fleeing a battle. I would say, it would be setting parameters. And, looking out for the best interests of their mission which is to be in a place where they are allowed to teach what they believe.
"Any group that gets targeted, instead of being divided should join together in unity against this administration."
This likewise applies to one of the three supposedly equal branches of our government - Congress. Do the job we elected you to do. Stand united against this domestic terrorist threat and remove it, through the power of the Constitution. Impeach, convict, and remove. It doesn't take the Supreme Court to make it happen.
This is why I wrote that foreign students should leave and transfer elsewhere. Many countries are understanding what is going on in the US right now and would take these students.
Exactly! Harvard has the luxury of using quasi snd unrestricted endowment funds, and this is precisely why a university builds excess funds - they help it weather bad times and preserve the institution.
I totally love this idea!! If the Orange Monkey can rescind work visas, security services, immigration paroles, thousands of jobs nationwide, then Harvard and any of the other universities from which members of Congress graduated, should definitely rescind their degrees!! Immediately!!!!!!!
The trouble with that is that it would probably apply to a significant number of law school and business school grads. Not to mention Mark Zuckerberg. More seriously, "behave with values that are part of the university community"? What does that mean? It's so vague that it could be fashioned to suit any upper-level administration's or organized donors' preferences -- or grudges.
That vagueness is exactly my point. That is what we get from the Trump administration and the Supreme Court too. I say give it back to them. It could very well include a lot of people. That would be great. Give them something to think about. Is a degree something you can just buy, or does it mean something and can it be taken back if you do not reflect what it is supposed to be representing.
Forget about Zuckerberg (and who gives a shit about him, anyway?): he was a drop-out. He never finished Harvard or anywhere else.
And what's wrong with applying that remedy to "a significant number of law school and business school grads"?
Harvard's motto is Veritas, or truth.
The Harvard College Honor Code reads:
Members of the Harvard College community commit themselves to producing academic work of integrity – that is, work that adheres to the scholarly and intellectual standards of accurate attribution of sources, appropriate collection and use of data, and transparent acknowledgement of the contribution of others to their ideas, discoveries, interpretations, and conclusions. Cheating on exams or problem sets, plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or language of someone else as one’s own, falsifying data, or any other instance of academic dishonesty violates the standards of our community, as well as the standards of the wider world of learning and affairs.
That honor code is expected to apply throughout a graduate's life (not just the college but the graduate divisions). Rescinding diplomas from all those who twist the truth, do not live with integrity, and break their (citizenship) pledge of allegiance to the United States -- as every Trump Regime appointee has done -- should have their degrees, whether earned or honorary, stripped from them.
For many years we failed to organize similar groups like the employee pension funds, and other so called charitable funds that say they support human rights and democracy. It seems to me that this may be a window of opportunity.
Trump/Musk is probably raking it in...but they went public and their holdings are vulnerable.....
Meanwhile I see conspiracies....Japan and China hold a lot of our debt and are selling it off, causing huge losses..... foreigners control 29% of our national debt.
Daniel, according to Canadian Substacker and media personality Dean Blundell, this idea of Japan and the EU selling US bonds that they own, was an idea of Canadas new PM, economist Mark Carney.
I've been at this a long time. I have been asking why we do not beseach allies like Japan, where individuals can borrow at less than 1% to let our traesury to arbirtage? Same for other allies like Switzerland and Scandanavian countries?
I've asked this of economists, members of the fed, politicians, and all I hear are crickets.
"Besides its destructive impact on research and training, this new action by the government again runs afoul of the longstanding regulatory frameworks governing federal grants and administrative law. Judicial relief is amply justified and urgently needed,” the American Council of Education asserted in a written statement."
So let me get this right. Bondi and the DOJ are Trump's personal lawyers, not the peoples' lawyers. Is that right? Then Trump should be personally paying their salaries.
Bondi and the Department of Justice are acting like Trump's legal support team. Call them for what they are. They no longer serve the people. They prove it by their actions.
The entire Cabinet, appointed by trump, and anointed by Congress, is beholden to their master and only to him. That is the truly sorry state of affairs.
Bravo, Harvard!! Now let’s see Columbia, Dartmouth, University of NC Chapel Hill, University of Maine REVERSE their “bent knee” to this dictatorial regime occupying the White House. Power in banding together!
This is exactly the kind of thoughtful opinion writing I signed up for when I got a paid subscription to The Contrarian. I wish Ms. Rubin would continue with more of this and reduce the amount of time and space devoted to online video commentary. We don't need another MSNBC. We need solid written reporting and opinion-writing. My paid subscription came in response to Ms. Rubin leaving the newspaper. I wanted to support her writing, not on-air talk, talk, talk.
I agree completely. I'm getting tired of the video conversations and wish there were more written stories. I guess the problem is that it's a lot easier to set up a video conference than it is to write something.
It is also easier to reach, possibly, those out there who grew up not reading, and those older ones who never read. We are a visual society. Whatever works to drive- what's right- into brains that didn't listen to what tRump was saying. Did they not believe he would do it? They need to be shown how to really listen.
I like that Krugman almost always includes a transcript with his video interviews. That way I can read, which I prefer, while others who prefer listening can do that.
I learn a lot from the video interviews. If you wish to read them instead, there is a button with a transcript. I also like the written articles. The Contrarian is getting the message out by using multiple means. That is what we all need to do.
Yes, there is a place for solid, tight interviews. Problem is there is too much banter of people agreeing this is bad or that is bad and going on and on agreeing with each other and smiling about it. It's the online version of something like MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and his legal regulars agreeing with this and that. It's not substance and doesn't go anywhere. It's just people agreeing and smiling at each other.
Jen, I also found Substack because I wanted to follow you, and I had never heard of Substack. However, your videos are much appreciated. Not only are they a visual break from print which is needed in these years, they offer the opportunity to become aware of more people than I might have known of without them. One particular video comes to mind momentarily, that interview with Heather Cox Richardson. While I also read her articles and listen to her recordings, it is because of your interview with her that I have a much better idea of who she is. Thank you for all you do.
Thank you, Jim. I am already a subscriber to Heather Cox Richardson, and she is excellent! I like that I can read her messages on the day she issues them, and if the eyes are troublesome, I can listen to her recoding of the same message the next day. Her comments are so valuable!
There are many valuable video interviews/conversations. It's a matter of topics, guests and choice. ALL videos are available as transcripts and can be read at one's leisure at any time. We benefit from ALL the media options which The Contrarian provides.
Trump, empowered by years of preparation of the Heritage Foundation, has unfurled a blitzkreig of authoritarian dictates. This time we are not waiting to fight back like we did when we let Hitler take over all of Europe and Japan attacked us before we actively entered WWII. We, and others, paid an enormous price in lives and treasure to stop and undo the damage caused by Hitler.
In less than 90 days Trump has done significant damage to our standing in the world, to our economy and to our rule of law. The truism, “United we stand, divided we fall” is very applicable to the threat from within posed by Trump.
When this is all over and some form of normalcy returns how will members of Trumps administration explain what they did to their children and grandchildren? “Yes we all thought being a Nazi was the right thing to do”.
By resisting this regime, we are not breaking any laws. We are defending the law and the constitution. Due process must be demanded by congress for anyone accused of a crime.
Republicans must stand up for our constitution and explain to their constituents that their president is not living up to his oath of office.
I just sent an email to media relations at Harvard asking them to forward my email to the kick-ass chess master who is standing up to the fascist bully in the White House.😀
This is just so short-sighted. Destroying the independence and research structure of Universities will end Americas long run of Nobel Prizes and our longstanding commitment to making the Human Condition better for everyone. Anything tRump cannot control and monetize, he sees absolutely no benefit in. Exactly what you would expect from someone with all the emotional maturity of a nasty, transactional 3 year old. Government by enfant terrible.
Here's another aspect of this: "Wait until Trump & Co. find out about Harvard Law's initiatives to "honor the enslaved people whose labor generated wealth that contributed to the school's founding." Harvard took a stand for truth, justice, and what should be the American way.
Trump’s war against Harvard is all over the news, but he has missed Harvard Law in particular.
In 2021 Harvard Law School changed it’s crest because the previous one had a connection to a slave owner. The Latin words mean truth, law, and justice. This is similar to Superman’s slogan about his fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way” which also has a complicated, albeit not tawdry, history.
Just look at the institutions NOT being attacked. I've heard nothing about these places, such as Hillsdale College in Michigan, a ring leader in the right wing "educational" world.
This is just more revenge on institutions that Trump knows he can't get into. he (rightly) feels he can't compete and he wants to destroy anything and anyone who points that out.
You neglected to mention the American Association of University Professors which, along with its Harvard chapter, filed a lawsuit against Trump government officials on Friday, THREE DAYS BEFORE the Harvard administration also said "no way."
Professors led the way to defend first amendment rights:
What Harvard should be doing is rescinding the degrees of all members of Congress and the Trump administration that are supporting his efforts against them. They can say that they reserve the right to remove the degrees of everyone who does not behave with values that are part of the university community.
Harvard asks: Can Harvard Use Its Endowment To Make Up For Federal Cuts?
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/4/17/harvard-endowment-explained/
I ask, can Harvard short Trump/Musk?
Yes. They should do that too.
Also, all law firms, universities, students, and immigrants should be banding together to stand against Trump. Any group that gets targeted, instead of being divided should join together in unity against this administration.
I personally think Harvard should threaten to sell their buildings and buy land elsewhere, perhaps in Canada, or Scotland, or England or Ireland and move their university there. With a 50 bil endowment they should be able to afford some place. I say this as a plan B.
Fleeing the battle is never the answer.
Marliss, is that the advice you would have given Jews in 1930s Germany, or 1940s Germany?
Back then Linda, for Jews it was the only alternative regardless of the country of residence. But where to go? How to get there? How to get a visa? Who would accept me. and my family ?., How to survive if we are dirt poor and how to pay for all the expenses and transportation costs? We are living in the middle of a very antisemitic country (list too long to name all of them) . Endless questions with no answers. Plus the paralyzing panic.
It's true that many families and individuals were able to escape, even groups of them walking their way East to China but how do you compare those few thousands against six millions.For them it was an inescapable deadly trap.
I know. I have studied German history, including the various fates of Brown skinned people like me. Ruth Ben-Ghiat often talks about how Otto Klemperer was able to leave because he was a musician and his cousin, Viktor, who is famous now for his diaries was stuck in Nazi Germany and did not get out, but his non-Jewish wife helped him to survive. I knew a couple of people who got out of Germany via China. I get the trap, which is why I don't want people to not see this for what it is and get trapped in the US now. Americans who do not have any experience with totalitarianism do not understand what it looks like in the early stages. Also, one of my best friends is Jewish and a lesbian and is trying to get citizenship in Poland which she should be able to get because she has her grandfather's papers. She wants to at least have a plan B, an out. I wish that for everyone.
We are discussing your point that Harvard should sell its buildings and move to another country. We are not discussing Jews in 1930s and 1940s Germany. In that case leaving, if possible, was the right choice.
I totally get your point, Marliss, especially since this discussion is about whether Harvard should "divest" American property etc.
I am making the point that never say never about fleeing a battle. I would say, it would be setting parameters. And, looking out for the best interests of their mission which is to be in a place where they are allowed to teach what they believe.
"Any group that gets targeted, instead of being divided should join together in unity against this administration."
This likewise applies to one of the three supposedly equal branches of our government - Congress. Do the job we elected you to do. Stand united against this domestic terrorist threat and remove it, through the power of the Constitution. Impeach, convict, and remove. It doesn't take the Supreme Court to make it happen.
What's the bloody point of having an endowment greater than the GDP of half the world if you don't use it?
At least a place for foreign students where they can't be deported.
This is why I wrote that foreign students should leave and transfer elsewhere. Many countries are understanding what is going on in the US right now and would take these students.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/foreign-students-at-a-us-university?r=f0qfn
Exactly! Harvard has the luxury of using quasi snd unrestricted endowment funds, and this is precisely why a university builds excess funds - they help it weather bad times and preserve the institution.
Thank you, Daniel, I have wondered that too.
I totally love this idea!! If the Orange Monkey can rescind work visas, security services, immigration paroles, thousands of jobs nationwide, then Harvard and any of the other universities from which members of Congress graduated, should definitely rescind their degrees!! Immediately!!!!!!!
The trouble with that is that it would probably apply to a significant number of law school and business school grads. Not to mention Mark Zuckerberg. More seriously, "behave with values that are part of the university community"? What does that mean? It's so vague that it could be fashioned to suit any upper-level administration's or organized donors' preferences -- or grudges.
That vagueness is exactly my point. That is what we get from the Trump administration and the Supreme Court too. I say give it back to them. It could very well include a lot of people. That would be great. Give them something to think about. Is a degree something you can just buy, or does it mean something and can it be taken back if you do not reflect what it is supposed to be representing.
Forget about Zuckerberg (and who gives a shit about him, anyway?): he was a drop-out. He never finished Harvard or anywhere else.
And what's wrong with applying that remedy to "a significant number of law school and business school grads"?
Harvard's motto is Veritas, or truth.
The Harvard College Honor Code reads:
Members of the Harvard College community commit themselves to producing academic work of integrity – that is, work that adheres to the scholarly and intellectual standards of accurate attribution of sources, appropriate collection and use of data, and transparent acknowledgement of the contribution of others to their ideas, discoveries, interpretations, and conclusions. Cheating on exams or problem sets, plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or language of someone else as one’s own, falsifying data, or any other instance of academic dishonesty violates the standards of our community, as well as the standards of the wider world of learning and affairs.
That honor code is expected to apply throughout a graduate's life (not just the college but the graduate divisions). Rescinding diplomas from all those who twist the truth, do not live with integrity, and break their (citizenship) pledge of allegiance to the United States -- as every Trump Regime appointee has done -- should have their degrees, whether earned or honorary, stripped from them.
LOVE this idea!
What a great idea! The Law School should go first: Republican toadies in Congress who have degrees should lose them!
Apparently there are hundreds of politicians in Washington who went to Harvard. Why aren't they standing up for intellectual freedom?
https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/12/jhj-capitol-hill-117th
Harvard should take away their diplomas.
Excellent point Linda 👏
Do you have more? 😁
I discussed some other actions they might take in the post just above yours. Probably much more controversial.
For many years we failed to organize similar groups like the employee pension funds, and other so called charitable funds that say they support human rights and democracy. It seems to me that this may be a window of opportunity.
Trump/Musk is probably raking it in...but they went public and their holdings are vulnerable.....
Meanwhile I see conspiracies....Japan and China hold a lot of our debt and are selling it off, causing huge losses..... foreigners control 29% of our national debt.
Daniel, according to Canadian Substacker and media personality Dean Blundell, this idea of Japan and the EU selling US bonds that they own, was an idea of Canadas new PM, economist Mark Carney.
https://deanblundell.substack.com/p/carneys-checkmate-how-canadas-quiet
He does not mention China as being clued in, but China has always known they hold this debt card in their hands.
I've been following this closely and Carney is a candidate and this is either
1. Russian psy ops. and/or
2. Pro Trump BS
I tracked some of it to Qanon. https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2025/04/11/qanon-targets-canadas-mark-carney-with-wild-conspiracy-theories-ahead-of-election/172580
I've been at this a long time. I have been asking why we do not beseach allies like Japan, where individuals can borrow at less than 1% to let our traesury to arbirtage? Same for other allies like Switzerland and Scandanavian countries?
I've asked this of economists, members of the fed, politicians, and all I hear are crickets.
Yes. If you follow Dean Blundell, you will hear him tell you about the craziness of the campaign against Carney.
https://deanblundell.substack.com/
Dean and Zev Shalev also have a daily podcast called 5 stack, in which they discuss 5 big topics of the day in the media.
That is the best idea I have heard in a long time. All institutions of higher learning should institute this policy immediately.
"Besides its destructive impact on research and training, this new action by the government again runs afoul of the longstanding regulatory frameworks governing federal grants and administrative law. Judicial relief is amply justified and urgently needed,” the American Council of Education asserted in a written statement."
So let me get this right. Bondi and the DOJ are Trump's personal lawyers, not the peoples' lawyers. Is that right? Then Trump should be personally paying their salaries.
Bondi and the Department of Justice are acting like Trump's legal support team. Call them for what they are. They no longer serve the people. They prove it by their actions.
The entire Cabinet, appointed by trump, and anointed by Congress, is beholden to their master and only to him. That is the truly sorry state of affairs.
Harvard will prevail. I feel strengthened by their clarity and their courage. Thank you, Harvard!
Bravo, Harvard!! Now let’s see Columbia, Dartmouth, University of NC Chapel Hill, University of Maine REVERSE their “bent knee” to this dictatorial regime occupying the White House. Power in banding together!
Where are Princeton and Yale, Stanford etc. in all of this? My hope is that they all band together in defense of intellectual freedom.
Absolutely.
This is exactly the kind of thoughtful opinion writing I signed up for when I got a paid subscription to The Contrarian. I wish Ms. Rubin would continue with more of this and reduce the amount of time and space devoted to online video commentary. We don't need another MSNBC. We need solid written reporting and opinion-writing. My paid subscription came in response to Ms. Rubin leaving the newspaper. I wanted to support her writing, not on-air talk, talk, talk.
I agree completely. I'm getting tired of the video conversations and wish there were more written stories. I guess the problem is that it's a lot easier to set up a video conference than it is to write something.
It is also easier to reach, possibly, those out there who grew up not reading, and those older ones who never read. We are a visual society. Whatever works to drive- what's right- into brains that didn't listen to what tRump was saying. Did they not believe he would do it? They need to be shown how to really listen.
I like that Krugman almost always includes a transcript with his video interviews. That way I can read, which I prefer, while others who prefer listening can do that.
Krugman also leaves a little music video at the end. Such a cool guy.
I learn a lot from the video interviews. If you wish to read them instead, there is a button with a transcript. I also like the written articles. The Contrarian is getting the message out by using multiple means. That is what we all need to do.
Yes, there is a place for solid, tight interviews. Problem is there is too much banter of people agreeing this is bad or that is bad and going on and on agreeing with each other and smiling about it. It's the online version of something like MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell and his legal regulars agreeing with this and that. It's not substance and doesn't go anywhere. It's just people agreeing and smiling at each other.
Yes, all those who prefer the written word, use the transcript button! Sometimes it’s not available right away but it is there
I just bypass the videos. A time-sucker when you can just scan most articles to get the meat of them.
Jen, I also found Substack because I wanted to follow you, and I had never heard of Substack. However, your videos are much appreciated. Not only are they a visual break from print which is needed in these years, they offer the opportunity to become aware of more people than I might have known of without them. One particular video comes to mind momentarily, that interview with Heather Cox Richardson. While I also read her articles and listen to her recordings, it is because of your interview with her that I have a much better idea of who she is. Thank you for all you do.
Please subscribe to Heather Cox Richardson. The best historian out there, always with a timely comment and historic analysis of current developments.
Thank you, Jim. I am already a subscriber to Heather Cox Richardson, and she is excellent! I like that I can read her messages on the day she issues them, and if the eyes are troublesome, I can listen to her recoding of the same message the next day. Her comments are so valuable!
There are many valuable video interviews/conversations. It's a matter of topics, guests and choice. ALL videos are available as transcripts and can be read at one's leisure at any time. We benefit from ALL the media options which The Contrarian provides.
Yes, Yes, Yes. we don't want to watch more MSNBC. We want to READ well-edited news, thoughts and analysis.
Trump, empowered by years of preparation of the Heritage Foundation, has unfurled a blitzkreig of authoritarian dictates. This time we are not waiting to fight back like we did when we let Hitler take over all of Europe and Japan attacked us before we actively entered WWII. We, and others, paid an enormous price in lives and treasure to stop and undo the damage caused by Hitler.
In less than 90 days Trump has done significant damage to our standing in the world, to our economy and to our rule of law. The truism, “United we stand, divided we fall” is very applicable to the threat from within posed by Trump.
When this is all over and some form of normalcy returns how will members of Trumps administration explain what they did to their children and grandchildren? “Yes we all thought being a Nazi was the right thing to do”.
I don’t think they think that far ahead or care.
Ask Arnold Schwarzenegger about his father, a broken man after the war.
Hopefully more will follow Harvard's example. Strength in numbers.
By resisting this regime, we are not breaking any laws. We are defending the law and the constitution. Due process must be demanded by congress for anyone accused of a crime.
Republicans must stand up for our constitution and explain to their constituents that their president is not living up to his oath of office.
I just sent an email to media relations at Harvard asking them to forward my email to the kick-ass chess master who is standing up to the fascist bully in the White House.😀
This is just so short-sighted. Destroying the independence and research structure of Universities will end Americas long run of Nobel Prizes and our longstanding commitment to making the Human Condition better for everyone. Anything tRump cannot control and monetize, he sees absolutely no benefit in. Exactly what you would expect from someone with all the emotional maturity of a nasty, transactional 3 year old. Government by enfant terrible.
Good for Harvard.
Here's another aspect of this: "Wait until Trump & Co. find out about Harvard Law's initiatives to "honor the enslaved people whose labor generated wealth that contributed to the school's founding." Harvard took a stand for truth, justice, and what should be the American way.
Trump’s war against Harvard is all over the news, but he has missed Harvard Law in particular.
In 2021 Harvard Law School changed it’s crest because the previous one had a connection to a slave owner. The Latin words mean truth, law, and justice. This is similar to Superman’s slogan about his fighting for “truth, justice, and the American way” which also has a complicated, albeit not tawdry, history.
On my Substack here: https://halbrown.substack.com/p/wait-until-trump-and-co-find-out
Just look at the institutions NOT being attacked. I've heard nothing about these places, such as Hillsdale College in Michigan, a ring leader in the right wing "educational" world.
How about Bob Jones University and all those other "christian" madrassas?
This is just more revenge on institutions that Trump knows he can't get into. he (rightly) feels he can't compete and he wants to destroy anything and anyone who points that out.
Check this opinion piece out:
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/trump-authoritarian-democracy-international-journalism-festival-20250418.html?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=edit_social_share_email_traffic&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&utm_term=&int_promo=
IMPEACH & CONVICT. And fire the ones in Congress who won't. There's no other solution. Let's keep the message simple.
You neglected to mention the American Association of University Professors which, along with its Harvard chapter, filed a lawsuit against Trump government officials on Friday, THREE DAYS BEFORE the Harvard administration also said "no way."
Professors led the way to defend first amendment rights:
https://www.aaup.org/news/harvard-aaup-and-national-aaup-sue-trump-administration-block-unlawful-funding-cuts